


Into the Trees with Empty hands

by Criminally_Capricious



Series: Mogens Things [2]
Category: Klaus (2019)
Genre: Mogens is uncomfortable about the woods and jesper wants to know why, skeptical jesper, spoiler its ghosts the woods are so haunted, superstitious mogens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:47:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22538008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Criminally_Capricious/pseuds/Criminally_Capricious
Summary: Jesper would like, just once, for Mogens to not be a cryptic bastard.Mogens would like Jesper to stop talking about what may or may not be in the woods. You aren't supposed to talk about these things where they might hear you.
Relationships: Jesper Johanssen & Mogens
Series: Mogens Things [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621636
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	Into the Trees with Empty hands

“I don’t like these woods.”

“What?”

Jesper hadn’t really been listening - the motion of the carriage and the steady thud of Rigel’s hooves on the snow had, over the past hour, lulled him into a trance - focused on the road in the way only an absent mind can be, it took a few seconds for the words to reach his brain.

They had been travelling in silence for the most part - minus Mogen’s rumbling snores as he napped beside him, his infuriating talent for falling asleep in any number of uncomfortable spaces clearly well up to the task of the hard wooden drivers seat that Jesper hadn’t quite gotten round to re-furnishing yet.

He had been so drawn up into the hypnotizing motion of the trees passing by on either side of them that he hadn’t noticed the snoring stop.

“Said I don’t like these woods.”

Mogens shifted slightly, crossing his arms tighter against his chest, as if he was holding back a shudder.

Jesper eyed him incredulously.

“You don’t like the - what, are you scared of _trees?_ ”

Although their relationship wasnt quite as….antagonistic as it had been at the beginning of Jesper’s stay in Smeerensburg, he hadn’t quite forgotten about the battle bell incident, and Mogens still took far too much pleasure in relentlessly teasing him for his liking.

It was instinct at this point to react to anything that the man said with an equal measure of sarcasm, but as Jesper waited for the inevitable retort, he realised that there had been no sarcastic tone from Mogens at all.

This alone was enough to shake Jesper from the remnants of his daze.

“You dont like the woods? Why not?” He asked, looking at Mogens face for any hint of mischief or an approaching punchline, but the man just looked bored, picking at his fingernails with a penknife he had slipped out of a breast pocket, which had certainly seen better days.

For a several long seconds there was no reply, just the sound of the carriage creaking and the thudding of Rigel’s gait.

Just as Jesper was about to roll his eyes and turn back to the road - (not that he needed to guide Rigel, who could probably pick his way to Klaus’s stables blindfolded at this point) - Mogens spoke again, murmuring so low that he could barely make it out;

“’S not the trees i’m scared of, round here. ’S what’s hiding behind ‘em.”

Jesper did roll his eyes then.

“Oh, okay. You’re going to try to spook me with some ghost story so that i’m all freaked out next time i come through here by myself, har-de-har. Márgu is more mature than you.”

Shrugging, Mogens shifted position again, snapping the blad of the knife back into the handle and settling back into his napping repose, but not pulling the brim of his hat down over his eyes. He didn’t seem to have a witty retort prepared, and Jesper felt a victorious thrill. Which was very mature of him, _yes it was_ , revelling in petty victory was a _perfectly_ adult thing to do.

They were approaching Klaus’s home now, the clearing visible up ahead. Now that they were closer, Jesper could smell the smoke from the chimney, and below that the delicious smell of roasting meat - Klaus had invited them to eat dinner with him, as he did every few weeks. Jesper always felt a little bad about having a friend cook for him - it felt too close to being waited on, and although he enjoyed Klaus’s cooking (heaven knows that Jesper wasn’t much at cooking his own meals) he felt a squirming sense of guilt at not being able to help. He had been gently shooed away from the kitchen enough times to get the hint.

Klaus had always made a point of extending these invitations to Mogens, because although he was sometimes difficult to get along with (Klaus’s phrasing), he was 'still a part of the christmas deliveries, and he wanted to thank him’ or something equally ridiculous.

Mogens had never taken them up on the invitation, citing work that needed doing on the mainland or some convenient errand he had to run - until today. Jesper had caught him waking up from a nap on the back porch of the boathouse, and when he extended the invitation again, Mogens had heaved a sigh and replied, "well fine, if you're going to keep asking." 

A breeze whistled through the trees as they rounded the last corner, tickling the back of his neck and carrying the muffled sound of hundreds of wooden birdhouses bumping and swaying high in the branches above.

Beside him, Mogens shuddered like the breeze had gone right through him.

Jesper was about to ask if he had forgotton to put on his longjohns this morning, but as he opened his mouth he noticed that the ferryman had crossed his arms as tightly to his body as he could, and his grip on the folded penknife was white knuckled.

Jesper stared.

Mogens wasnt trying to scare him with ghost stories -

Mogens was spooked.


End file.
